the ort bindery

quarter bound

2007-04-22T05:15:00.000-07:00

this one was bound for one of my classes, to demonstrate how to bind the style. it is bound on split boards, rather than being a case binding, and is a hollow backed book. i'm also responsible for the paste papers on the boards, which comes from the first time i'd made them...

an experiment...

2007-04-04T04:57:00.000-07:00

this is an experimental binding, done primarily as an excuse to try out the headbands ( coptic ), which i had not done before...
this book has in- strap sewing, and the straps are recessed into the covers, as is the clasp. this took a bit of planning, but i'm really happy with the result. the marbled paper is by joan ajala, who does stunning work. the photography does not really do the colors justice... damn you, strange afternoon light...

another lyonnaise binding....

2007-04-04T04:50:00.000-07:00

this is one of the most recent lyonnaise bindings i've completed. this one was done for a competition at a museum in adelaide... but no joy...
this style of binding is very old, and originally done as an account book, bound with blank pages. it opens very flat, allowing the accountant to write entries across the open pages.
for this reason, they also make good sketchbooks.
there is even one in a painting by hans holbein the younger, in his 1532 painting of 'georg gisze'. i was really excited when i saw it..

some more books...

2007-04-04T04:20:00.000-07:00

hello again... today's post is of a coptic binding. i lined the fold of each section with the paper i used on the covers, so that there was a continuity between the front and back covers. i also added a clasp and 'button'. it's blank inside, and i made it as a sample in one of my lessons. really happy with this one...

three piece binding

2007-03-12T04:25:00.000-07:00

this a variant of a full leather binding. instead of the book being covered in one piece of leather, the cover is made in seperate pieces: the 2 boards, and the spine. great for using smaller bits of leather, or using contrasting colors. this one has thin leather strips that were onlaid into blind tooled lines. the edges of the book block were also colored so that the design continues across the book from front to back

structure croisee / exposed sewing

2006-12-11T02:58:00.000-08:00

hello again...
another book, this one with a limp cover...leather on the outside, suede on the inside...
more of a modern binding. this one was abit of an experiment... i sanded the leather
on the edges, which i hope will be visible enough in the photo...

lyonnaise binding: smith's 1910 smaller classical dictionary

2006-12-09T21:44:00.000-08:00

continue the experiments...

2006-12-09T21:18:00.000-08:00

ok, i have just been liberated from the necessity of using an internet cafe computer to post...so i will try to post a photo of one of my books using the webcam on my computer....

the first one...

2006-11-10T20:19:00.000-08:00

hello, and welcome to the ort bindery blog site...

i have to say that this is a bit of an experiment for me, as i am much more used to working with raw materials, turning them into a tangible, physical object...
paper, glue, thread leather etc, using techniques that, for the most part have remained unchanged for several hundred years.

then, at the other end of the spectrum, the digital age...so here i am, experimenting with sharing an old ( and for me , thoroughly rewarding ).....craft / profession / metier... call it what you will, with an audience size that probably wouldn't be possible using word of mouth alone....strange.